kdakota630 (30.22)

The Joy of Paying Bills

15

Every month around this time, bills arrive and quickly come due. From utility and cellphone bills to credit cards and the mortgage, the envelopes arrive all at once, like clockwork – and, unlike checks, they hardly ever come late.

Although I do not like getting bills, I secretly like paying them. Like crossing items off a to-do list, paying bills is an accomplishment that makes me feel proud. Most can be paid electronically, but I will often take the trouble to hand write and mail a check to maximize the experience.

I recognize that many Americans struggle to meet their financial commitments each month and sympathize with their burden. That anxiety is an understandable byproduct of evading the realities of how we amass debt and, all too often, how we fail to pay it off.